Ace of Diamonds
by Sky the white dragon
Summary: When a Gotham Villian attacks Jump City and infiltrates The National Dog Show, Robin must enlist the help of his own pet. But when the news finds out, can the identities stay secret. Slight blood and pain, but that's all.
1. Yet to know

Ace of Diamonds

It was a normal day in Jump city, though the Titans, who inside of the coliseum, were busy helping with the event that would bring back the past of their leader. (Not that they knew)

"Tell me, what we are preparing for again?" asked Starfire

"The National Dog Show, People from all over will bring their dogs to compete in the show!" Beastboy replied in an excited. He couldn't wait to see all the dogs that would enter into the competition.

"What exactly is it these dogs will be doing?"

"Well," Robin said "There are four part of the competition:

"Conformation- Where the Judges decide which dog looks the best"

"Agility- Where the dogs run an obstacle course"

"Obedience-Where the dog performs its trick the best it can"

"Freestyle-Where dog and trainer perform any way they want"

"My, there is much the pets must do!" Starfire exclaimed

"Starfire, the dogs and their Trainers practice." Raven replied in her monotone voice.

Cyborg soon entered covered in oil. "Well, I just finished the lighting and the air conditioning in the kennels." Cyborg had been enlisted to make the lighting, kennels and even the obstacles had been modified.

"Well," Robin said after surveying the arena, "if everyone's done their job, we can all leave.

Cyborg had done the lighting and mechanics, Raven and Starfire had put up the decorations. Robin had checked out how many people would be attending and had made sure the area was sound for the audience and Beastboy had tested everything in the shape of a foxhound. No one said anything, but they all knew that if Beastboy entered, another contestant would need to be _pretty_ bad for him not to be disqualified the first round.

As the Titans exited, they got a call from the JPD.

"**This is officer Houndson to Titans; an unknown villain has attacked the Jump City Bank.**

"_**TITANS GO!"**_ Robin yelled


	2. Attack!

Ace of Diamonds

"Did they say who it was?" Beastboy said

"No, all he said was that he had a very _memorable _face" Robin said

The titans quickly made their way towards the bank. A group of men dressed in black were hauling money in duffle bags out to an armored van with a black skull imprinted on the side. All while being watched over by five figures.

"Stop!" Starfire yelled, her hands and eyes already glowing green.

A man in a cream tuxedo turned around and saw the teens. Everyone, excluding Robin, gasped at the sight of his face. His brown eyes were uncovered, but his face looked like a skull…. A black skull.

"Well, well, well" He said in a gristly voice, "If it isn't the Bats baby bird!"

"Black Mask!" Robin said. The crime lord had given plenty of trouble when Robin plenty of trouble when he worked in Gotham. He had even kidnapped him in his civilian identity. (Though some good came that day)

"Hey Rob, who is this guy?" Cyborg asked. Robin simply ignored the question.

"What do you want Sionis!" Robin yelled.

"Why, I simply needed to get the money for a little project I'm working on." said the "Masked" Robber. He smirked at the thought of battling teenagers; the smirk gave him an even more sinister look.

"Project?" Robin yelled. He knew that if Black Mask was happy about some work of his, it at least had to be checked out.

"Doesn't matter, this town will find out soon enough. Get 'em boys."

All too late, Robin realized that he didn't have just any bodyguards. He had the Terrible Trio and even worse; Deadshot!

Raven tried to grab Vulture with her shadows, but for a humanoid rat with wings… he was pretty agile. Always flipping over her attacks and charging her.

Beastboy had changed into a green tiger, trying to catch Shark with his claws. But Beastboy was having trouble doing that when he had to avoid Shark's gnashing teeth.

Starfire had taken Fox. He was even more agile than Vulture! Fox was jumping and twisting every way with a smile on his fuzzy orange lips. When Starfire stopped to think of another strategy, Fox jumped at her with fangs and claws bared. Starfire moved just in time and was able to blast him with the bolts from her eyes.

Cyborg was entering a shooting match with Deadshot. Though Cyborg wasn't quite as fast as Deadshot…. One thing evened it; Deadshot wasn't as technologically advanced. Eventually Cyborg was able to hit his target and left to help the others.

Robin was the only one who wasn't having trouble with his combatant. Black Mask was as good in combat as Robin. Fist-to-Fist, Kick-to-Kick, they matched each other. Mask then suddenly pulled out a flash bag. Robin was blinded and then felt a surprising amount of force on his chest as Mask kicked him back in the chest.

"Well, it's been fun kids but we got to go; Boys!" Mask called out to his men like dogs.

The Trio and Deadshot quickly disengaged, (Vulture was walking as he had lost several feathers and had to walk, Shark was gingerly walking forward with his still bleeding scratches, Fox's fur was scorched in several places and he was panting heavily and Deadshot's aiming mechanism was beeping hysterically and he grumbled at Mask that the guys had gotten away with the money.)

Then Vulture quickly used his wings to flap dust everywhere, especially in the Titans faces. When the dust and_ their eyes _had cleared the group was gone.


	3. Mission

"**GO HOME, NOW!" **Robin yelled at his team

But Starfire was curious and tried to make sense of what had happened "But Robin, who was-"

"Not now Star," Robin said as he approached his R-cycle "I've got someone to call!"

Starfire couldn't help but notice he said that sentence with dismay and distain; he was not looking forward to the call.

Before Starfire could ask more questions, Cyborg gently grabbed her arm and led her away.

"Come on, something tells me he wants to be alone."

At that, the titans crowded into the T-car and sped toward the tower.

Of course, Beastboy had to break the silence.

"Okay, am I the only one who has no idea what happen?"

"Well, apparently Robin is the only one" Raven said in an emotionless voice.

"The skull-faced man seemed to know Robin" Starfire said

"Yeah, and Robin wasn't too happy to see him either." Cyborg pointed out

* * *

On the outskirts of the city, Robin stood on a tall building. After a few moments of thought, he pulled out a small silver communicator imprinted with a black symbol that resembled a bat.

"_Batman here" _A deep voice answered

"Had trouble with Black Mask lately" Robin said in a sarcastic voice.

"_He struck Jump city?"_

"He attacked a bank and got away with millions" Now that he had said it out loud, Robin noticed something wrong with the set up.

"_Are you seeing the problem with that equation?"_

"Roman Sionis is rich, why would he rob a bank." Then Robin remembered; "He said he was funding a project"

"_Project? Isn't there a show going on in Jump?"_

"Yeah, but it's a dog show. What would Black Mask attack a dog show for?"

His father/mentor paused, _"We've crashed several labs funded by Sionis Industries in the last 2 months."_

Robin shook with anger at that statement; he remembered how Sionis abused and tortured innocent animals in his experiments, trying to bring about anamalian super soldiers to sell to the highest bidder. Some were turned into high class security guards; others into gladiators for sick, bloody human amusement, the rest did not survived the process.

"Are you saying that Sionis is planning on stealing the animals in the show?

"_Or he plans on unveiling a few new pets"_

Robin sighed "What do you suggest I do?"

"_You'll need to enter to get close; he may have someone undercover in show"_

"But where am I supposed to get a d-"Robin stopped and got a smile on his face.

"_I'll meet you outside the city to hand him off to you, and you may need to tell your team you won't see them for a few days"_

"Starfire won't like that"

* * *

Back at the tower, Starfire was pacing relentlessly.

"Oh where is he?" She moaned.

"Starfire, calm down, He'll be here soon." Raven said, her voice tinged with annoyance.

"She's right Star. Besides, your pacing is making me dizzy." Beastboy said as he passed another car on his videogame.

As Beastboy's car passed the finish line, a call came through.

"Robin! Will you be coming home soon?"Starfire said with concern.

Robin rubbed the back of his neck in guilt. "Uh….. No.

"WHAT!" They all screamed.


	4. Reunion

Robin looked down ruefully. There were times when he disagreed strongly with Batman, and he didn't WANT to leave them; but in this case he understood that he needed to go.

"I won't be gone long. I know someone who might be able to help us get Black Mask into custody."

"But Robin, why would you leave us like this?" Starfire said.

Robin had been afraid of this, Starfire was emotional when it came to him, and it was no secret. But, at the moment, he had other things to worry about.

"I'm not leaving. I just have some work to do that only needs me and I can't have you guys come because then the city would be unprotected."

"You know, we could get Titans East to look over things here for a while. Or an honorary titan could help out." Beastboy said; he always had been the nosy one in the group.

"No, this job needs me and me alone." Robin said firmly. At that, the titans (excluding Raven) all looked crestfallen. They knew that they could not convince their young leader to allow them in on the secret.

Robin felt bad about leaving them like this, but what could he do? If he was going to do this secretly and safely, they needed to know as little as possible.

"I'm sorry guys." And he was truly sorry. "I'll see you in at least a week" With that, he signed off before they could say anything to change his mind.

The Titans were left to wonder what was going on after he signed off of the screen. Raven could not help but sign in irritation. Robin had always done this to the team. He always kept secrets from them and seemed determined to let them know as little about him as possible.

Starfire came over to Raven on the couch, "Raven, do you know why Friend Robin will not let us accompany him?"

Raven once again felt her patience grow thin, but answered in her same monotone voice. "Starfire, Robin is a person who has secrets that might be better off unknown to others. If he wants help, he'll come to us."

"She's right Star," Cyborg said, "Robin will come to us when he realizes he can't do this alone."

However, they all knew that Robin was proud, and that odds were he would not ask until it was too late to do anything.

The Titans knew little about Robin; his family, his past, his name, even the color of his eyes were a mystery.

"Well, we'll find out at the show." Beastboy said before going back to his game.

Far outside of the city, in a wooded area, Robin leaned against his R-cycle, waiting in anticipation. Batman had informed him that, so not to arouse suspicion, he would be dropping of the "package" off with directions to find Robin when he had reached his designated location.

Robin was about to whistle until he heard a rustling in the bushes behind him. He turned with his bird-a-rangs in hand; ready to be tossed at anyone who was dumb enough to sneak up on him. Robin looked closely, and saw… a large shadow charging straight towards him! Robin tossed his bright red and green arsenal at the shadow and was surprised when it dodged it with surprising agility. He tossed an array at it next and it moved in a fan like shape and avoided them all.

"_I'll have to use a more direct approach." _Robin thought. He quickly ran at the shape only for it to quickly jump backwards, leaving robin to crush nothing but grass. The shadow quickly ran towards a tree, threw its weight towards with a jump and pushed against it, catapulting its body straight into Robin. Robin was pinned to the ground by the large object, it was snarling at him with teeth that seemed to glow in the night.

Robin tried to haul the animal off of him, but stopped when the creature lay down on top of him and licked his face. Robin couldn't help but laugh as the animal rubbed up against him, while he petted it's dark fur.

"You've been practicing your moves, haven't you Ace?"

**Greeting to all my faithful readers! This is Sky the White Dragon! **

**I would like to thank everyone for faving and/or story alerting "Ace of Diamonds" Because I believe you should each have a say in how the story goes, I have a poll going on!**

**Go to my profile and participate in the poll to decide**

"**What breed of dog should Bat-Hound be?"**

**Tell your friends about the story and tell them about the poll. When I have stable results, I will update the story. (Take note that whatever dog Ace is, he will most likely be a black dog, with a white diamond-mark on his forehead.**

**Bye-Bye for now!**

**Sky**


	5. Agenda

It had been a few days since Robin had told them that he would be gone for a few days. The titans had been busy trying to get leads on Black Mask while the dog show got closer and closer each day. Next to the occasional bad guy, things had been quiet. Starfire was of course sad that Robin had left, but she had something else to occupy her. Contestants for the show had been arriving lately, and the Tameranian was having a pretty good time with all of the dog breeds showing up. Along with Beastboy, she had already seen and made notes of the yappy Beagle, the workaholic Australian Shepherd, the energetic Golden Retriever, the odd looking Xoloitzcuintli and the intimidating, but sweet Staffordshire terrier.

"My, my, this will be quite the show!" Starfire said with her usual enthusiasm.

"Yeah, it will." Beastboy said, "Just wish Rob was here to help with everything."

"Robin wouldn't leave unless there was something that required his attention. He isn't the type to take a vacation." Raven said.

"Yeah Raven, but still. I just wish he would trust us enough to tell if something was wrong." Cyborg said.

The team was sitting at a café across from the dog park. Tired of always stepping on someone's Chihuahua, they decided to stay away from the commotion.

Everyone was about to leave when Starfire alerted them to a young boy and his dog who were performing quite the array of tricks.

The Titans turned and glanced at a handsome young boy, with spikey black hair and bright sky blue eyes, wearing a pair of black jeans with a plain black shirt with a white star imprinted on it. With him, was an equally handsome black German shepherd, wearing a dark blue collar. The boy was kneeling down in front of the dog, while the dog was walking on its front paws, doing front and backflips and most impressive of all, standing on its head like a human! As it turned to look at him for it's next command, it exposed the striking white diamond-mark on it's forehead.

Being the social butterfly that she was, Starfire flew towards the boy and his dog. When Starfire reached them, they seemed to have finished their training for the day. The boy was sitting with his back against a tree, while the shepherd was lying down beside him, content with ears pricked and eyes sharp.

When Starfire approached, the dog instantly lifted its head and watched her intently.

"Greetings!" Starfire said, "I could not help but notice your tricks for the show. They were very good!"

The dog, suspicious of her floating, stood and growled at her. However before the titans, who had followed her, could pull her back, the dog's owner quickly grabbed the dog by the collar and gently, but firmly pulled him back.

"Heel," He said the word quickly and sharply, and surprisingly, the dog instantly backed off.

"Sorry about that, he can be kind of paranoid." The boy said.

"Oh, I understand. My flying must have startled him." Starfire said. She then landed softly on the ground and held her hand out to the dog. Now recovered from his shock, the German shepherd sniffed her hands and relaxed.

"I am Starfire and this is Beastboy, Cyborg and Raven."

"This guy here is Ace and I'm Dick."

* * *

Dick had been practicing some tricks with Ace for the show. They had arrived in the city not long ago, and it took a while for Dick to remember that to lower suspicion, he had to act like he did not know the titans. It was good to see Ace again and together, they went over the routine. While Ace rested, Dick had been thinking about Black Mask. If Mask planned on abducting the animals in the show, he and Ace would do whatever they could to stop him; Ace in particular.

He was so caught up in is thoughts, that he didn't notice Starfire flying towards him; if he had, he instantly would've told her to walk instead of fly, which was why he was so startled when Ace growled. He quickly grabbed him and got him back under control.

"_He's acting just like Bruce." _He silently thought. Dick then regained his composure and greeted his teammates as if he had never seen them before.

"He's my protection dog, so he kinda thinks he can't take a break." He said sheepishly.

"Oh don't worry; we know what it's like to have someone like that around." Raven said sarcastically.

"We saw those tricks you and him were doing. They were great dude! Beastboy said.

"Thanks, we've been practicing for a while, haven't we Boy?" Dick said to his dog playfully. Ace responded with a deep, happy bark.

"You here for the show?" Cyborg asked.

"Yeah, we had some time on our hands back home. It was summer and everyone was telling me how great Ace's tricks were so we thought we'd give it a shot." He said so matter of factly.

"Where are you from?" Starfire asked

"Gotham" Dick said.

"You look really familiar dude, you someone famous?" Beastboy said nosily.

"Uh, you can say that…" Dick mumbled.

Before he could be bombarded with more questions, the clock tower rang when the big hand hit the twelve and the little hand reached the five.

"Is that the time?" Dick yelled. "Sorry, but I've got to go. Maybe we'll see each other at the show tomorrow. Come on Ace!"

And with that, the boy and his dog ran down the street and quickly rounded the corner.

* * *

Robin quickly turned and looked back to see if the Titans were following him and sighed in relief when he saw that he had left them behind. Roman Sionis hated Bruce Wayne and his son, and Batman had made Robin promise that he wouldn't be out late.

"You did well with your tricks Ace, but you can't growl at everyone who comes near me." Robin scolded the shepherd.

Ace simply walked beside him, his white diamond beginning to glow in the fading light, looking up at his master with love and devotion.

The two entered the hotel Bruce had them staying in and after greeting the other dogs and people staying at the hotel, they entered the suite on the top floor.

Dick entered their room, showered and sat on the bed with a thoughtful look on his face. He just couldn't let Black Mask get away with this. Sionis deserved to be put in jail for the rest of his life, for what he was doing. Robin looked at Ace, who was looking back at him sadly. Robin knew that this was personal to Ace.

"You want to get back at him don't you boy?" Robin said to his dog. "You remember what he did to you." Ace growled softly.

Robin rubbed his dog behind the ears fondly and then went to sleep with a full mind and a heavy heart.

* * *

_He heard the screaming and yelping of his brothers and sister, the snarling and growling of the other dogs, fighting in the ring. His own cries of pain as he lay on his side in his cage. Suddenly a man came, opened the door, and roughly grabbed him by his scruff, ignoring his cries of fear and the blood that was staining his shadow colored fur. He was then thrown on his back onto a table, his paws strapped down as a bright light bore down on him. He saw the men coming towards him with white gloves on their hands, carrying bloody scalpels, prods and syringes. The man who had brought him there wrapped a wire around his muzzle, though he was too young to hurt them. _

_They came closer, and closer, and closer…._

* * *

Ace woke up with a start. For a moment, he thought that he was in that terrible place again, that he was never rescued and that he was next to either fight to the death, or be dissected so those men could see how their chemicals altered his body.

Ace looked around and saw that it was late and that the moon was shining through the window of the balcony of the suite, covering him in a silver light. He sat up on his haunches and sighed deeply. Ace's mother was a stolen show dog, and his father had been an esteemed guard dog that made sure nobody got in the lab. He had been born in that place; the runt, black puppy, with 6 brown brothers and sisters. His first memories were of pain and blood.

When he was just a few days old, they took him away from his mother, and mercilessly, tortured him; Injecting burning chemicals into his little body, cutting into him to measure his blood flow and electrocuting him when he struggled. All funded by a Mr. Roman Sionis.

Ace looked at his master in the bed. Robin had finally fallen asleep. Ace went over to the bed, laid his head and front paws on the mattress and looked at his boy. Robin had saved him from losing his mind in that cursed place. Ace had been allowed to repay the favor to him and his father by being allowed to be Robin's bodyguard. Ace leaned over and licked Robin in the face. Robin simply smiled in his sleep and turned on his side. Ace chuckled softly, crawled into the bed and under the covers beside his owner, and made two silent promises to no one in particular.

_I will get my revenge on that man, and I won't let anyone hurt my boy!_

* * *

**Thank you to all the people who participated in my poll! For a while, it was a tie between German Shpeherd and Great Dane, but German shepherd pulled ahead with just one extra vote!**

**If you want to see a story with Great Dane Bat-hound, look at Chibi Lauryn's "Like Broken Mirrors.**

**As you can see, Ace has a score to settle with Black Mask and he is quite the friend to Robin. **

**I would like to dedicate this chapter to all abused animals. Please donate to the ASPCA to make sure no dog goes through what Ace did.**


	6. Preperations

It wasn't night, but it wasn't day either. The sky was slowly turning from dark blue to sky blue. In the hotel, two figures laid in the queen sized bed in the top suite. Both were motionless, yet wide awake. One, a young boy around sixteen years old, the other, a large black German shepherd dog with a clear diamond on its head. They looked each other in the eyes, each with sadness. Neither could physically talk with the other, but Dick had a feeling of what was going on inside his pet's mind.

"I promised I'd always look out for you, and I don't think I've broken any promises yet." Dick said to Ace.

Ace just sighed.

"I've seen you thrash in your sleep Ace." The shepherd looked at him surprised and Ace then slipped back into his minor depression.

Dick felt himself slipping into his own dismay. It had been seven years since he found a small black puppy sitting in a cage by itself in the gruesome labs that Sionis stowed him in after kidnapping him. Robin remembered how the vet had told them that the puppy they had rescued showed signs of increased physical and intellectual attributes. The vet had said that Ace's strength, speed, agility and endurance had all been heightened. His intelligence had increased to a human like capacity, and it was possible he wouldn't show signs of aging until around sixteen years. But while this was said, Robin couldn't help but notice a sadness in the puppy's eyes. If he could, Robin would've made Ace a regular dog, if it meant that he would never have gone through the painful process of what gave him those abilities.

"I don't want Mask to hurt you anymore. But I know that you want Sionis behind bars a much as I do." At those words, small glimmer of hope and happiness crept into his pet's eyes.

"So, what's it going to be Ace?" Robin said to his pet. He got his answer when Ace rested his head and paws on his shoulders in a hug.

Robin returned the gesture gratefully, "That's my boy." Dick hung his legs over the side of the bed and stole a glance at the brightening sky.

"Let's see; the show starts at ten, it's eight thirty, I need to shower and get on the clothes for the show, you need to be bathed, brushed, your teeth need to be cleaned, nails clipped and I haven't even mentioned breakfast yet." All together it would probably take a good hour and a half.

Ace looked up at him pleadingly. Robin couldn't hide his smile when he sat back on his hind legs and held his paws up in a classic begging position. The wag of his tail was simply icing on the cake.

"Fine, we'll go for a quick walk and to the park. But when we get back, we need to get started with your bath." Ace simply whined at the B-word.

* * *

It was quite slow at Titan Tower. The team had taken the HIVE to jail after a few mishaps and Mumbo had attempted to turn all of the show's contestants into rabbit for his magic tricks, but none of that took their minds off Black Mask. He had not been seen since the night Robin left. Usually, this meant something very big, would happen very soon. This added to the foreboding tension in the air.

At that moment, Starfire left the tower for a flight to the park in an attempt to calm herself. Of course, she was thinking about Robin.

"_We are so… different." _She thought and indeed they were. As a tameranian, she was used to expressing herself, and always confiding in those close to her. Robin on the other hand…

But even she had to admit, "We are so different, yet we go together so very well." Maybe, Robin would see that one day….

As Starfire flew over the park, she looked down to see the boy they had met yesterday, Dick, was out with his canine. It was starting to become brighter, but Starfire wondered why he was out this early, most people wouldn't come out for a while longer. She decided that talking may clear her head. Dick was wearing a short sleeved silver t-shirt and some black jogging pants, while Ace was now sporting a blue bandana.

"Walk, don't fly!" He called out. Starfire then remembered yesterday and quickly landed. She then approached the two.

"Joyful morning to you." She greeted.

"Morning," he said as she approached. Having learned her lesson, Starfire approached Ace carefully, and extended her hand to him.

Happy and relieved that the strange female did not fly, Ace put his paw in her hand and gave it a small lick.

"Oh!" She admired.

"He just needs some time to get to know people. He isn't a bad dog." Dick said, looking at his dog with affection.

"You seem to have a bond with your pet." Starfire said as Ace allowed her to gently pet his head.

"Yeah well, he went through a lot before I found him." Dick said.

"What do you mean?" Starfire asked innocently.

* * *

Dick couldn't help but pause at this question. He was worried about giving away too much and he already noticed Ace glancing his way.

"I just found him as a puppy without a home and took him in." Starfire could not help but notice that Dick said it quickly and painfully; as if he hated the memory. Starfire however was not one to pry.

"Well, whatever situation you rescued…Ace from;" she paused as if unsure of his name,"I am sure he is grateful."

"I like to think he is." Dick then got one knee and rubbed his dog down his back.

Before the two teens could continue their conversation, Starfire's communicator went off. Starfire answered and heard Raven's voice.

"Starfire, are you there?" Raven emotionless voice rang through clearly.

"Yes friend Raven, I left to do the alone time." Starfire said calmly.

"Well, come back when you're done." Raven said and hung up.

Starfire looked at Dick apologetically; he simply looked back at her with understanding.

"It's okay, we have to get back and get ready for the show." The young man and his dog turned and walked down the path that lead to the road.

"Maybe we will see you there!" Starfire yelled at him. He simply turned and waved back at her.

* * *

Back at the hotel, Dick showered and put on his black slacks and dress shirt and jacket, along with a black velvet bowtie. Ace was bathed and brushed until his black fur shined. Dick looped the thin show leash around Ace's neck and went down to see that Bruce had arranged for a chuffer to drive them to the show. Robin had gotten used to it when he lived in Gotham, but he always made sure to keep his humble attitude. People often told him that he was one of the few kids who could be thrown into such a promising life and still keep their kind and modest attitude.

During the short drive to the coliseum, Dick was far into his thoughts. Black Mask was not above harming _everyone_ in the show, this was how unpredictable he could be. Not quite as unpredictable as Joker, but still.

"We'll just have to see, won't we Ace." Ace let out a fearful whine.

* * *

Starfire entered the tower to see that everyone was getting ready to go somewhere.

"The Mayor asked us to come and watch over the Show."Raven told her when she entered.

"Has something come up that requires our attention?" Starfire asked.

"He's just worried that, with Black Mask running around, we need to be ready in case something goes wrong." Cyborg said.

"And that there was something else he needed to tell us." Beastboy said after getting his Frisbee and tennis ball.

"We'll tell you on the way." Raven said.

**Well, it's almost time for the show and the tension is slowly building!**

**Read and please Review. And don't worry, there, gonna be action soon**

**Next chapter:Showtime!**


	7. Showtime!

Dick was known to be a show-off when he worked in the circus. He loved people applauding at his tricks, gasping at his falls and cheering at his landings. But he would probably never get used to the paparazzi that followed him everywhere he went. Once he got out of the limousine, he and Ace were assaulted by news reporters all asking things like:

Why did you leave Gotham?

Where have you been this past year?

What have you been doing all this time?

Blah, blah, blah.

After playing tag with the reporters, Dick and Ace entered the coliseum. Once they entered the air was filled with the shrill barking of the many contestants, the smell of canine shampoo and the sight of the many rings in the large building.

An attendant, dressed in the uniform for the city animal shelter approached him."Mr. Grayson?" She asked.

"Yes?" He replied. "I've been requested to lead you to your station." She said and motioned for him and his dog to follow. She brought him to a station with a chair and a table for Ace to jump onto.

"I suggest you hurry. German shepherds are in the Herding group, and it starts in a few minutes." She handed him a black armband with the number 5 printed, and walked away.

Ace jumped onto the table and Dick set about touching up Ace's coat and making sure he had everything he needed. Once he was done, Dick gave Ace the command to sit.

"Well buddy, here we are." He said with hollow enthusiasm. "I know you aren't exactly social for a GSD, but I need you to relax."

* * *

Ace was trying to calm down, he really was. But in the labs, next to being the resident artificial freak of nature, Ace had the job of desensitizing puppies (some almost dogs) that were due to become fighting machines. He was often the hunk of meat that they were encouraged to attack. Becoming a science experiment was like being taken out of a burning building… and being put in an oven. It was just plain worse. As such, he wasn't all that social.

"Look, we need to get close to the other contestants, and to do that, we need to progress through the competition." Ace didn't look convinced.

Dick was forced to say something to the dog that he knew was possible, but was afraid to say out loud. He leaned closer to Ace's head.

"Ace, if Mask gets a hold of these dogs, he could make an army. But first, he'd have to experiment." Dick whispered into the dog's ear.

* * *

At that moment, Ace was dead to the world. Instead of the large, bright coliseum, he saw a small, dark room; all from a cage that was even smaller and darker. He was hurting, his breathing was labored and he was covered in blood. He tried to ignore the pain that had been inflicted upon him by a group of eight-week old bulldogs. He was only 4 weeks!

While he tried to breathe, a man suddenly opened the cage door and picked him up. It was Kai "Devil Dog" Boxer, the man who ran the fights.

"This little runt? I've seen rats stronger than this!" He said, jerking the puppy. In front of the abused animal, was none other than Black Mask.

"Maybe," Mask said "but the test came back positive. This mutt can survive the procedure. Gimme the stupid thing."

With that, Devil Dog tossed Ace to Mask, who simply examined him; roughly pulling on his legs and prying open his mouth.

"You may be right Boxer. But if this works, we'll get millions!" Black Mask said while harshly patting the puppy on the back.

From that moment, Ace's life became a nightmare that wouldn't end. Until around three weeks later, when he met the boy who became his savior.

* * *

Dick didn't want to do it. But Ace needed to know how serious this was. After he told Ace what was at stake, the shepherd froze. For a moment, Robin thought that Ace was going to run off, but then Ace suddenly responded; with peeled back lips, raised hackles, and a vibrating snarl.

Anyone else probably would've backed away. But Robin simply stroked Ace down his diamond-marked forehead. Ace then paused, looked around calmly and sat down as if nothing had happened. This was a bit like a secret handshake between them. A code between friends.

"Ace, Robin said with determination, "We _**can't**_ let Mask get these dogs!"

With that dog and human both found the resolve. Ace had suffered for the first weeks of his life, and Mask would do that to hundreds more!

The Boy wonder and the Canine Crusader couldn't not fail!

* * *

The Titans arrived at the show right when the show was starting, a while before Dick did. The Mayor would be there a little while later. They headed for their seats, which had been placed high up so that they would be able to see if something went wrong. They all sat down as they waited for the herding group to start up.

"This group used to herd animals in farms Star." Beastboy said, happy to be a teacher for a change.

"Maybe friend Dick will be here?" Starfire asked.

"Ace did look like a shepherd." Cyborg said.

"I am seriously telling you guys, I know that dude from somewhere!" Beastboy persisted.

"**Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Jump City National Dog Show!" **They heard from the announcer.

"**We have a lot of dogs today from all over the country so let's get started!"**

"**1****st**** is Red Oak's Harlem-Australian Cattle Dog-Handler: Tara Strong**

**2****nd**** is Meadowbrook's Selma-Border Collie-Handler: Greg Cipes**

**3****rd**** is Carlotta of Able Meadow-Belgian Malinios-Handler: Hynden Walch**

**4****th**** is Diablo of Blood Valley-Beauceron-Handler: Circe Smith"**

The contestants came out as they were called, were quickly and quietly accessed by the judges and left to stand where they could be seen.

They heard feedback from the mike along with commotion in the announcing booth.

"**Ladies and Gentlemen, I have just received word of a very special guest. Please welcome, Richard Grayson and his dog, Ace of Diamonds!"**

* * *

Dick got his cue and as Ace was led out into the spotlight, there was a massive applause as the two walked out into the arena. His person walked him over to the judges. Ace had never really liked personal contact. He wasn't vicious or mean or rabid or whatever any cynophobic person would tell you; he was a nice dog, he really was. He just had a... _Tight,_ comfort zone. The judge ran their hands over his nose, head, body and legs. He could feel his tail going between his legs and his ears starting to fold; he was smart enough to know that that didn't make him look good. Before he could panic, Dick quickly said his name. Ace looked up at him and instantly calmed down. Then, they were told to wait with the others. As he stood in line, he cast a quick glance at the Beauceron, Diablo.

"_I know that dog from somewhere, I just can't place it." _He thought.

Before he could search his memory, his heightened senses picked up something far away.

_Kic-clik _

"_Is that a gun?"_

* * *

Beastboy couldn't believe his ears. Richard Grayson, _the _Richard Grayson was in Jump City. The son of Bruce Wayne, owner of Wayne Enterprises, the company that gave them _all_ of the electronics in the Tower.

"I knew I'd seen that dude before!" He exclaimed, though he quickly lowered his voice.

Starfire looked like she wanted to ask a question; only to be interpreted by the repeated fire of a machine gun.

* * *

**Okay so, "Cliffhanger"! I'm sorry to everyone for taking so long, but my mom is making me do (DUN,DUN,DUN) SCHOOL WORK OVER THE SUMMER!**

**But, I'll be staying with my grandmother for a week, so YAY!**

**To everyone who reads this story and My others, I'm working on them but It may take a while.**

**Bye, Bye for now.**

**(Oh and Read and Review)**


	8. A Pawed Beating

The crowd instantly began to panic. Dogs ran wild and the titans quickly set to work trying to calm the crowd. Starfire and Raven flew around the arena trying to pinpoint the gunfire.

"There!" Raven shouted.

The girls saw that it was Deadshot and the Trio. Black Mask however, was nowhere to be seen.

"Two little doves for the fox." Fox snarled sadistically. He leaped into the air and took Starfire down with him. He pinned her to the ground and laughed darkly. He opened his mouth and prepared to sink his sharp teeth into her face. Only to bite into the back of a large green porcupine that had quickly crawled so that it stood over her. He quickly fell onto his back screaming. Beastboy morphed into his real self with a smug look on his face.

While Fox plucked the quills out of his tongue, Vulture flew at the teenagers, screeching.

"Azerath Metrion Zenthos!" Raven shouted and Vulture was quickly grabbed by Raven shadows. He struggled as the empath tried to squeeze him until he passed out. That is, until Shark rammed her. She flew into the wall of the coliseum and as Shark prepared for another attack; Cyborg shot him with his cannon.

"Now," He said when Beastboy took Shark on as a lion, "Where is laserboy?" He said, wanting a remach with Deadshot.

"Over here, Robo!" The assassin shouted. At that insult, Cyborg instantly tried to shoot Deadshot in an attempt to make the man eat his own words. But once again, Deadshot used his agility to make himself harder to hit.

Starfire couldn't help but notice as she and Raven fought with Vulture and the recovered Fox, that they weren't doing very well against the villains.

Suddenly, Fox broke off the fight and Vulture moved so that neither Starfire nor Raven could follow him.

"You guys take care of the kiddies, the boss said he wants Wayne's kid alive." At that, Fox ran into the scattering crowd. The Titans realized that Fox intended to kidnap Dick.

All together they realized that he had vanished. Though, that was pushed away from their minds as Deadshot suddenly blew a small whistle and suddenly, two dogs appeared beside him.

They were both great danes, they were both grey, they were both scarred, and they both looked angry.

* * *

Dick and Ace ran into the back rooms where the lockers were hidden. Dick quickly grabbed his backpack and they scampered into the nearby alley. Robin changed quickly, being eager to get back to work. Once he was done, he went over to help Ace. Judging by the way Ace was shaking his entire body, he was just as eager; not just to fight with Robin again, but to become his own alter-ego.

"Hold still Ace!" Robin grunted, trying to get the shepherd to stop squirming. "It's hard to get your tag on if you keep shaking you head!"

* * *

The titans were not doing too well. The Assassin, the bird and the fish had cornered them with their attack dogs. The dogs were huge, even for their breeds!

"Seems we caught 'em." Deadshot said victoriously.

"What now? Vulture said.

"I don't know about you, but I'm pretty hungry." Shark said, licking his lips. Vulture looked like he would agree when suddenly, Fox appeared.

"Couldn't find the brat." Fox said in a fowl temper. Mask would be mad when he heard this.

"Well, we could always give him these guys." Deadshot said.

The titans threw everything they had at the dogs, but nothing seemed to faze them! The mad dogs stepped closer, and closer.

But, with the sound of the coliseum doors being flung open, everyone stopped what they were doing and glanced at the source of the sound.

In the doorway, stood the Titan's leader, but he was not alone. At his side was a large, black dog with a dark blue hood covering his head. Its ears were uncovered and so was its nose and jaws, but its eyes were as white as Robins. Around its neck was a thick gold collar with a bat shaped tag hanging in the front.

"Are we interrupting anything?" Robin said while his furry companion snarled.

"No, we were just deciding how to roast your companions." Deadshot said.

Then, with no warning, Deadshot sprang at Robin. Robin quickly formed a sword from his bird-a-rangs and met Deadshot with the sharp instrument severing the wires in his targeting gear. Deadshot was then left with nothing to help his aim!

"Help me!" He angrily shouted at his lackeys. Shark and Vulture quickly darted over to help.

Robin met shark with a flip and slipped behind him. Before he could do anything, Robin suddenly swiped his legs underneath Shark and sent him toppling.

Vulture tried to charge, but the titans watched in amazement as the dog suddenly jumped high into the air and came crashing down on the bird. The dog then grabbed vulture by the leg, twirled him around like a yo-yo and tossed him into the recovering Shark and Deadshot. The action planted them both into the ground.

"Good boy!" Robin shouted enthusiastically.

Fox however dampened their victory by engaging them, leaving the dogs to guard the titans. But he was stopped when the mystery pet charged him, and quickly launched onto Fox's chest. He pulled Fox down with a surprising amount of strength and knocked him out by crashing his own skull into Fox's forehead. The resulting noise made Beastboy gag.

"Now, for those two!" Robin said. The dogs were simply glaring at them. But it was enough for Raven to use her shadows to knock the unsuspecting animals into the walls.

The titans ran to their leader.

"Rob, what is that?" Cyborg said, pointing at the black dog who simply stared at them.

Robin had a sly look on his face. "Titans, meet Bat-Hound."

As the Titans stared at the super-dog, it suddenly snarled. Everyone, even Robin looked surprised.

The dog took a step back, and jumped over the entire team! The teens looked behind them and saw that the dogs were on their feet, ready to attack. Or, at least they were, before Ace landed on one of them, knocking it unconscious. The other he quickly pinned down, despite its snarling protests.

The shock worn off, the team finally realized; the villains were nowhere to be found.

* * *

As the team left the coliseum so the workers could restore the arena for the other groups, Robin was bombarded with questions.

"Robin, where have you been?"

"Dude, what have you been doing?

"Didn't know you had a dog."

"We were wondering when you'd get back."

"Guys, I told you. I was looking into what Black Mask was doing here." Robin said with annoyance, he hated when the team got nosey, but he couldn't completely blame them.

"And you pet?" Starfire asked. Bat-hound was simply staring at the nearby animal control van. The danes would be taken to a lab to see what was wrong with them and, if they could be cured, they would be found new homes.

"Bat-Hound is here to help with the investigation. You guys saw how well he can fight, plus he's gone thru training just like I have."

"Got that right!" Beastboy said, "Didn't even know dogs could do stuff like that. Maybe your dog could help me learn some stuff."

"Maybe" Robin chuckled, but he knew Beastboy would never achieve the abilities Ace had.

* * *

Ace stood near the humans, or at least the humans and the two girls. He wasn't quite sure what they were, but if Robin was okay, Ace was okay too.

He looked at the two attack dogs sadly as they were taken away. Mask had changed his formula. Those dogs were now mindless slaves. Truly, they were dogs that felt no pain, no hunger, no compassion; just hatred and the need to please their insane master. Ace shivered mentally.

He stopped his brooding when one of the humans, the green one (one of the side effects of the experiments was that he could see color), suddenly changed into a small puppy. It playfully bowed at him with a tennis ball in its mouth. Ace didn't move. It looked at him questioningly and spat the ball out.

"What's wrong, don't you wanna play?" It had the same voice that the human had.

"What are you?" Bat-Hound asked.

Beastboy was set back by the dog's deep voice.

"I'm Beastboy! I can change into different animals. " He said happily. "Do you want to play?" He repeated.

Bat-Hound glanced at Robin.

He simply smiled. "Go ahead."

Ace then scampered away with Beastboy, feeling as if this was the first time in months he could relax.

* * *

Robin talked with the police about the attack. Apparently, the guards that were meant to be on standby had been found beaten in the nearby trash. But they were alright. Robin spent some time with the titans in the park. He had only been away for a few days, but he had really missed them. Starfire wanted to tell him all about the dogs she had learned about while Bat-Hound romped with Beastboy.

"And this is a Labrador Retriever; they were meant to go into the river and bring back game that the hunters had shot." Starfire said.

Robin was going to ask her more for her sake, when suddenly his communicator went off. Robin sighed; it was time for Grayson to come back.

"Something wrong?" Raven asked.

"I have to go…." Robin said.

"Oh Robin, can you not stay for a while longer?" Starfire pleaded.

"Sorry Star, but I have more work to do. I'll be back when the shows over." At that, Robin gave a loud clear whistle. Ace, who had been rolling in the grass with Beastboy, then got up and ran to Robin side.

The R-cycle zeroed in on Robin position and Robin zoomed away from them, with his loyal dog running beside him with surprising ease.

* * *

The titans were a little sad and annoyed that Robin would not stay, until Cyborg reminded them that the Mayor was waiting. They met with him in the police station. And he had a very serious look on his face.

"Well, I suppose you'll want to know what this is about." The older man asked the teenagers, they nodded. He tossed a file onto the table. When Raven opened it, she was greeted with picture of Dick and Ace. Dick was wearing fancy clothes and Ace was always beside him with a look that said "come near us, I dare you".

"His name is Richard John Grayson. I'm guessing you've heard of him.

"We met him yesterday, sir" Cyborg stated.

"Well, his father is Mr. Bruce Wayne, a very powerful man in Gotham City. I called you here because I only learned he was coming today. I would like you to be his Bodyguards. With this Black Mask business going on, the boy needs to be protected.

"So, you would like us to make sure Black Mask does not injure him?"

The Mayor nodded. "Take this folder with you; you'll need to know a lot about this kid if you want this job to be successful. He said sliding the folder to them.

* * *

**You would not believe how hard I worked on this! I was trying so hard to give Ace a fighting style, and give Robin an accurate personality... UH!**

**I hope everyone recognized the names of the handlers in the last chapters. Give those guys some love for the work they put in as the Teen Titans voice Actors!**

**I wonder how Dick will handle the Titans as his bodyguards...**

**(Check out the stories in my favorites, many unfinished so help me guilt them into finishing and please Review)**


	9. Assignment

Ace was noticeably nostalgic when Robin took his hood off. Ace had been trained by specialists from all over the world to be the ultimate protection dog. He had one mission, to protect Robin at all costs. But, he couldn't help but feel stronger when the hood smoothed the fur on his head, and the bat-shaped tag clicked against his collar.

He and Robin changed quickly outside city limits; Robin into some blue jeans and a red shirt and Ace into his favorite bandana. The R-cycle was programmed to hide until Robin sent out the requested signal. Dick and Ace then walked back to their assigned hotel. Dick was about to go to their room, to study some files he had kept with him to keep himself occupied (and hopefully give Ace something to do), until the hotel attendant, a woman in her late 20s called him.

"Mr. Grayson," She called. "The chief of police would like to see you."

"Any idea what about?" He asked.

"No sir."

Ace and Dick glanced at each other, but made a detour towards the police station.

* * *

The titans waited in the police station for their charge to come. Starfire and Beastboy were reading the file about Dick while they waited. She was surprised to find that he and his "father" were not actually related. Apparently the boy worked as a performer until his parents were killed in an "accident". Actually, they were killed by a mobster who wanted money from the owner of the circus. He refused, and Dick's parents paid the price. Both of the teenagers shook with sadness and anger.

Their small fit of rage ended when Dick and his pet walked in. Dick sat down across the table from the superheroes while Ace set to work sniffing the entire area for anyone who would hurt his owner. When he cleared everything, he sat down but kept an ever present eye on everything.

"I hope you weren't hurt during the mishap at the show, sir." Chief Burner said.

"No, Ace and I got out with the rest of the citizens when the titans directed everyone." Dick said, hoping the titans wouldn't ask who saw him.

"Well, I've called you here to go over something with you." Dick nodded, still unsure about where this was going.

"The mayor and I have agreed that you need some protection, until you either go back to Gotham, or until Black Mask is caught…" Dick nodded again, still uncertain what it was that the chief of police was getting at.

Well, Mr. Grayson, we have assigned the titans as your personal bodyguards." The Chief said.

Starfire and Beastboy smiled sheepishly.

* * *

"_Just my luck…" _Dick thought_. _This was a covert mission, if they found out whom he was, he would never reach the end of the lecture Batman would give him. It wasn't a matter of trust; it was a matter of keeping his father satisfied.

Dick realized that everyone was staring at him, waiting for his reaction.

"Uh, that's great." His voice oozed uncertainty, "It would be nice to have someone to talk to. I'll wait outside; my dad is probably waiting for a call." The boy raced out of the room with such little warning that even Ace was surprised, he had to run to catch up with his master. They left everyone with awkwardness so thick; you could cut it with a knife.

* * *

"What was that all about?" Beastboy asked as they all sat there.

"They say that rich kids are crazy, but that was just plain weird!" Cyborg exclaimed.

"Guys, can we talk about this after we catch up to our _assignment_? Raven said walking towards the door, her voice holding a slight tinge of annoyance.

The titans then realized that the person they were meant to protect had just run out the door!

Of course, they ran after him.

"He seems to be a bit on-top- of the whelm…" Starfire said

"You mean overwhelmed, Star." Cyborg said patiently.

"But the question is, why?" Raven asked suspiciously.

* * *

Ace ran after his boy, desperate not to lose sight of him. He weaved through traffic, darted through crowds and even slinked through the legs of an unsuspecting wolfhound, and he still couldn't catch up. He stopped at an intersection and jumped on top of a parked car to get a layout. Ace could've cried when he realized Robin was nowhere to be seen! Luckily he was trained in tracking and attacking. But first he needed to make a stop at the hotel.

"_That lady better be smart enough to let me in…" _Ace thought as he sped to destination.

* * *

Dick leaned over the branches of the large oak in the park. He had darted up the tree and hid in the thick leaves and he could only hope he wouldn't be found.

"_Why, why, why?"_He said over and over in his head. He could've accepted a regular police guard, but the titans! This just got harder.

Dick's lament was interrupted by a shuffling noise down below. For a moment he thought the titans had caught up to him, but instead of a green bloodhound, he saw a black shepherd.

"Psst!" Dick said sharply. Ace looked up and with precision and grace only a cat possessed (don't tell Ace that); he climbed up the tree and settled in. Dick noticed that Ace had something in his mouth. Dick held out his hand and the protection dog dropped into his hand, a piece of (slightly damp) paper wrapped with a thin silver blue collar that looked like it could be attached to whatever Ace had on his neck. Dick read the letter

_R_

_Prototype from Clark. Thought it would be useful._

_B_

There was also a small earpiece inside.

Dick looked at him questioningly. Ace was panting heavily and though he had an irritated look on his face, he wagged his tail encouragingly.

Robin had known Ace too long to not trust him now. Dick carefully placed the device in his ear; Ace then bowed his head, allowing Dick to secure the collar so that it was hidden by the bandana. When everything was straight, Robin turned on the earpiece.

At first he simply heard the sounds of the park, but then Ace begun barking. Robin's eyes widened when Ace bark began to change.

"_Ruh, ruh, ran…o… ar…e…_Can… you... hear… me?"

Robin was a bit stunned, but after seeing everything he had, it wore off quickly.

"Yeah, I hear you." He said calmly "Neurologic translator?" He said, referencing to the items.

"If I had to guess." Ace said.

"While I'm happy that you don't have to grunt anymore, how did you get this?" Robin asked. Ace snorted.

"That lady who sits up front at the hotel stared at me for a while before she had the sense to look at my tags. She let me into our room and I got this out of the pack. Then I opened the door again with my mouth and darted out before she said anything." Ace said. "Now, about the station…" He trailed off, significantly angry. As Dick's bodyguard, Ace **HAD** to be in close proximity with him at all times.

Dick chuckled, "Sorry buddy, I just didn't know what to do. This whole thing might just go down the drain! They can't know."

"Why don't you want them to know? Krypto and Streaky know who I am." Ace said.

"It's different Ace. Bruce would make me come back home if they knew. And besides, don't be offended when I say this, you guys can't really tell anyone." Robin said.

Ace had to admit Dick had a point.

"Well, can we please get down from here? I can hear your changeling friend snorting for you a mile away; and while I like a good breeze as much as the next dog, this wind as really starting to annoy me." Ace said, shaking his head as emphasis.

Dick jumped down with ease but not before giving his dog a good natured rub on the ears and turning off the translator.

* * *

Starfire flew all over town with Raven and she could not find their charge.

"_I did not know earthlings could disappear so quickly!" _she thought.

"Is it possible for our mission to fail so quickly…?" Starfire said into her communicator.

"Yes, but we haven't failed yet. I think I see him." Raven said, her voice only changing to point out the assignment.

Lo and behold, Dick was sitting at a picnic area with Ace lying on the table. Raven landed and walked towards him calmly.

"So, you ready to actually let us know when you're about to dart off." Raven said with slight annoyance.

"Sorry, this was all just a bit sudden. Just didn't know how to react." Dick said apologetically.

"We have to wait for the boys before we decide what to do now." Raven said, already sitting down and crossing her legs to meditate.

Starfire simply sat down across from Dick and laid her hands across Ace's back. The dog wagged his tail and sighed contently, while Dick blushed.

* * *

"Guys, we found him." Raven voice echoed from Beastboy's communicator.

"Seriously; where was the dude?" Beastboy said incredulously.

"We found him in the park. Come down here so we can decide what to do now.

Beastboy and Cyborg scampered towards the park. Once there, Beastboy made sure to give Dick a piece of his mind.

"Okay, dude," scolded Beast Boy. "We're supposed to protect you and you just run off! I mean, Black Mask could've kidnapped you, or ransom you or sell you or-

"B, I think you made your point." Cyborg said patting his shoulder.

The five teenagers and the dogs paused awkwardly.

"So... You want us to help you with the show?" Cyborg finally asked.

* * *

**Well Ladies and Gentlemen; I've been working on this for quite a while. If you want to know why, just PM me. Now then, I've been working on plenty of stories-**

**A story where Robin, Speedy and Kid Flash need to ask for help from the JL.**

**A Teen Titans Crossover with Okami.**

**And a sequel to "Ace of Diamonds" with an appearance from our favorite DC Cat-Burglar.**

**Please Review, so**

**Bye-Bye for now!**

**Sky the White Dragon **


	10. Practice, Practice, Practice!

"Good boy, good boy!" Dick said after Ace had successfully sat up on his haunches and held his paws out in front of him.

"Okay, for our last trick." Dick said, like a true performer. Dick turned to his dog and motioned upward. Ace stood on his back legs eagerly. Dick walked forwards and got on one knee next to him. Ace then placed his forepaws on his owner's shoulders. The team watched in amazement as Ace performed a handstand on his shoulders as Dick slowly stood up.

"Ta-da!" He said.

"Cool dude!" Beastboy yelled.

"Yeah man, you and that dog are really something!" Cyborg agreed.

"Yes, Mr. Grayson, you and your pet must win the show!" Starfire exclaimed enthusiastically.

Even Raven looked impressed with the feat. Ace placed all his paws on Dick shoulders and then jumped down as Dick slowly kneeled down to a keep him from getting hurt.

"I sure hope so. We only came up with it a few days ago, but Ace has done real well." The boy said as he patted his dog on the side.

"Okay, the only thing left for us to train for is the agility trails." Cyborg stated.

"We have some equipment in our bags back in our room. You guys can come with us." Dick said, already motioning for them to come.

"Mr. Grayson, your dwelling place is not near our current location; Friend Raven can surely teleport us to your-

"Thanks Starfire, but Ace and I like walking more than riding." Dick said while Ace nodded his head and wagged his tail.

Starfire nodded her head in compliance.

"Oh," Dick remembered, "and please, either call me Dick or Richard." He said smiling.

Starfire couldn't help but notice something familiar in his smile.

* * *

"Dude, you seriously live here!" Beastboy screamed.

Dick's hotel room was huge; a large television stood in an attractive stand/dresser, a queen sized bed covered in a pale blue comforter and a desk with a laptop stood off in the side. The room was actually big enough for them to set up some of the agility equipment, though there was little room for maneuverability.

"Well, technically I'm just staying here until the shows over." Dick said with modesty.

"You really think it's a good idea for Ace to practice here?" Raven asked sarcastically. Ace looked at the hurdles and tunnels nervously.

"I agree with Raven. Friend Ace could break something or injure himself." Starfire said, ever the caring one.

"Come on Star, if this dog can balance on someone shoulders, he should be able to make a turn."

Dick looked like he was going to argue, but instead gave a simple shrug.

Dick gave Ace a command to come to his side. He then sent the dog through the jumps and the tunnels. Ace was a fast dog, usually he cleared the jumps in less than a second and he seemed to exit the tunnels as soon as he entered. But in this case, he couldn't hit his full speed if he didn't want to knock himself out. Ace stopped before each jump so his momentum wouldn't carry him into the dresser and he had to take a deep breath in order to slip in the tunnel since the entrance and exit was against the wall.

"He can't train like this, B." Cyborg said as Ace stopped and lay down on the bed with closed eyes.

"Come on, he just needs to see how it's done." That was all Beastboy said before he suddenly morphed into a green foxhound. He then darted into the makeshift arena.

Unfortunately, he was not as careful as Ace. He darted into the walls and the dresser.

Everyone watched him uneasily as he continued his exercise. (If you could call it that…)

"Uh, I'm gonna go and tell the manager what's going on up here before someone complains." Dick said backing away slowly, keeping his eyes on the green blur until he exited. Ace got up to follow him.

"No Ace; I'll be back. Stay here and make sure he doesn't break something." Dick told his dog, wanting him to take a small break.

As Dick left and closed the door behind him, Ace sat down with a heavy sigh. He couldn't help but feel a little better when Starfire walked over to him and gently stroked his white diamond.

* * *

Dick briskly walked down the hall to the elevator. He had to get to the manager before someone heard the noise.

As the elevator doors closed Dick sighed and leaned against the railing. He still needed to talk to Bruce about his "Bodyguards".

"_I can hear his voice now…"_ Dick thought in exasperation. Bruce wouldn't be happy.

As the elevator doors opened and he walked into the lobby, he was then stopped in his tracks.

* * *

"Okay Beastboy, enough is enough!" Raven said sternly. The vase on the desk would've nearly fallen over if Ace had darted forwards and caught it in his mouth.

"Geez it was just an accident!" Beastboy whined as he morphed back to his human form.

Ace allowed Cyborg to take the vase out of his mouth and licked his lips, tired of racing to save something from being destroyed. Ace then looked towards the door. Dick had been gone for a while.

"_He's a big boy, he can handle himself. He'll be right back"_ Ace thought. But he couldn't help but think something was wrong.

The humans were talking about the arrangements they had made for them to stay in the hotel, so they could react quickly if there was a problem.

Ace wasn't listening; he was pacing and whining by the door. They simply ignored him, but the girl in the cloak had walked towards him and laid her hand on his head, in an attempt to calm him.

Ace growled in frustration and suddenly, he stood up and grabbed the lever doorknob and before the titans could say anything, he was running down the hall.

"Hey, Ace got out!" Cyborg yelled.

Ace had pressed the buttons on the elevator with his nose and jumped in. Everyone got in just as the doors were, (Beastboy had to change into a rat to get inside!)

"This is one smart dog!" Cyborg observed.

"He's a protection dog, he's meant to be able get out of any situation to protect Dick." Raven said.

"I do not understand. What is a "protection dog?" Starfire asked.

"He's Dick's bodyguard, like a guardian when his father isn't around. Basically, he keeps him safe." Cyborg told her.

Ace was utterly focused on the elevator door. Why wouldn't it open!

"So…. What's happening top dog?" asked the little green mouse perched on his muzzle.

"Something's wrong, I just know it!" Ace whined, itching to get out.

"Come on, what could happen in five minutes" Beastboy asked as he jumped down and resumed his human form.

Ace didn't answer; because at that very moment the elevator doors opened and he was out before the elevator even stopped.

He rounded the corner so that he saw the door. At that very instant, Ace froze.

Fox was crouched at the entry way, the workers were knocked out. Ace let out a warning bark.

Fox turned and glared at him, he then stood up to begin the confrontation. Ace could not choke back the whimper in his throat. Fox's nose was stained red, along with his claws. At his feet, knocked unconscious with four red, wet streaks running across his back, was Dick.

* * *

**Cliffhanger!**

**So, I've written a new story. Though you TT fans might not like it. It's a fantasy thing. But back to the story.**

**Can someone please give me the name of one of my reviewers. **

**IsisxAce-I want to talk to her.**

**To MegsyJ98, I'm trying to talk to you, but you want let anyone PM you.**

**And check out Browniesarethebest's lovely Teen Titans and Young Justice Stories like:**

**Not Again!**

**And **

**I need a Hero!**

**So until next time**

**Sky the White Dragon.**


	11. Hotel Showdown

Ace had dedicated two years of his life to the training it took to become a certified protection dog, but it was a little after his graduation that his training really began. Ace had been there when Robin pitched the idea of "Bat-Hound" to Batman. As you can guess, he wasn't all that eager. But his specialized training combined with his altered mind and body (and some emotional conditioning from Wonder Woman) he was ready to go. But he was smart enough to know that he needed to control his anger, as all the other heroes did.

But that control was about to go straight out the window! Ace bristled and snarled at the mutant that had attacked his owner.

Fox stood upward and laughed. "I only came here for the kid, but it looks like I get another work out" He snarled scornfully as the titans caught up.

They all gasped at the sight before them.

"Dick!" Raven gasped when she saw him lying at Fox's feet. From what she could tell, they were just scratches.

"Stay away from him!" Starfire growled dangerously.

"Why, so you can singe me again?" He jeered. He then stepped over the boy's body so he was between him and the teen heroes.

Ace was so angry, he could barely breathe.

"_Seems nobody told this clown that shepherds protect from wolves, bears, eagles, lynx, puma and __**FOXES! **_The dog thought.

* * *

When Dick exited the elevator, he saw that fox had chased the workers into the corner. When Fox noticed him, he immediately pounced toward the elevator with the intent of knocking him out. Dick's reflexes saved him from a possible concussion, but Fox recovered before Dick could turn around; that's how he was scratched. Fox then jumped on him and the force dazed the boy enough that he didn't retaliate when fox grabbed him by his collar and dragged him to the doorway. But he noticed a certain smell on the thug as he was being pulled out. It was the same smell the clouded around Ace when Dick rescued him. He then noticed that Fox looked a whole lot bigger than before.

"_He took the same thing that the dogs took!" _Dick thought silently.

He couldn't move when he saw his friends come out of the elevator. But apparently he could hear. He heard Starfire's angry words of protection, and Fox's teasing comeback. He slowly opened his eye and saw Ace struggling to keep his composure. For a moment Dick felt proud of his dog. Ace had come so far from being a scared, traumatized little puppy to this brave, confidant companion. But then, a shine from Fox's hand caught his eye. In their enemy's hand, was a knife.

Before he could communicate with Ace, the dog lunged. Fox pulled back his arm, ready to take a stab at the dog. But then, finding strength in his legs, Dick knocked one of Fox's feet from under him. Fox stumbled forward, not falling but exposing the knife behind his back. Ace, seeing the danger, sailed over fox (grabbing his neck) and quickly flipped with his adversary. Ace landed on his feet and threw Fox to the ground. The titans then leaped into action.

Beastboy charged ahead as a ram and knocked Fox out into the street. Raven, Cyborg and Starfire combined their projectile, causing extreme pain to Fox. The final blow was dealt by their temporary canine-teammate however; Ace darted forward and barreled straight into Fox. In the end Fox lay unconscious while Ace stood over him snarling.

* * *

Ace glared down at his opponent. He said it once and he would say it again, **NOBODY WOULD HURT HIS BOY!**

He then remembered! Running back to the hotel, he saw that his owner was slowly sitting up and, next to the tears across the back of his shirt, he looked okay. Ace slinked up to him with his ear laid back and his tail between his legs.

"I'm okay buddy." Dick said reassuringly. Ace however could see that the marks were starting to sting.

"Richard, you are uninjured." Starfire said, clasping her hands over her chest.

"I'm fine, just a bit… cut up." He said as Cyborg helped him up.

"Jeez man, I suggest you get that checked up." Cyborg said after seeing his back.

"I might just do that Cyborg." Dick said as he sat down on a nearby chair to catch his breath.

Only later did they notice that a certain fox had once again, slunk away.

* * *

Later that night, Dick sat with his legs crossed on the floor of the balcony with Ace sitting not for away, his bandaged back still numb from the painkillers. The doctor had told him that the scratches would heal over time, and that he should be able to continue with competition in two days since tomorrow, the conformation trails would continue since so many contestants had attended.

The titans had gone back to the tower and were now setting up in some unused rooms in the penthouse.

Dick's thought were interrupted when Ace began whining at him. Dick smiled and turned on the communicator in his ear.

"Quite a day huh?" Ace said.

"Yeah, just think of tomorrow" Robin chuckled. Ace chuckled back, but then looked at the night sky with frightened look on his face.

"Okay, what's wrong?" Robin asked.

"Just… I caught the smell on Fox, Dick. It's changed; before the test just made us smart and strong. Now…" Ace stopped and looked at the floor.

Robin slowly reached out and gently rubbed Ace's neck. Robin had known long before now, that Ace had been horribly abused as a puppy. But despite the opportunity, Robin did not want to know what had happened. He respected the dog too much to reopen wounds that it took years to heal. It was a truly cruel world if they could find such a terrible past in a puppy.

Ace nodded gratefully and continued, "Now, it's turning the subjects into monsters."

"We'll get them buddy, I promise." Robin said. "And you know…"

"I never break a promise." Robin and Ace both said.

Ace then crept into Robins lap and proceeded to lick his face.

At that moment, Ace remembered how he and Robin played together in the mansion when he was a puppy. Ace remembered what his thoughts were at that time.

"_Maybe, the world isn't as bad as I used to think."_

* * *

**Aren't they cute!**

**I've haven't had access to the internet for a while and I apologize for the wait.**

**IsisxAce: Ace won't have a big part in the sequel, but I will have another animal besides Isis in there **

**So, bye-bye for now**

**Sky **


	12. The Cat and the Canine

Ace woke up with another fright. He didn't have a nightmare but, _something_ had waked him up. He looked around. Robin was asleep and judging by the soft snores he could hear from the hall way exposed by the opened door, so were the rest of the titans.

Ace stood and stretched; he had actually been dreaming about his puppyhood when he heard…

Actually he didn't know what he heard, but it sounded familiar. He walked towards the balcony and, after wrapping his mouth around the handle; he went out and placed his forepaws on the railing. He looked over the dimly lit city. Everything looked safe enough.

But then something caught his eye. A dark shadow darting across the street below. He caught sight of a long tail and pointed ears, but it was too small to be one of the trio.

For a moment, Ace thought of walking Robin up, but decided against it. The kid could argue till the husky puppy howled, but Ace knew that he hadn't been sleeping well.

Ace opened up their suitcase and grabbed his mask and collar from the hidden compartment. He tossed his collar up high and quickly darted his head through, the tag clicking softly. With difficulty, Ace pulled his hood over his head with the help of his paws. He leaned over the balcony rail and looked at the long drop.

"_This is gonna be tricky."_ Bat-Hound thought.

He leaped onto the railing, balancing carefully. Then, after a single moment mixed with calculation, anticipation and intimidation; he leaped.

He felt the impact jolt his body, but he was fine.

"_Now then, were did that shadow get to?" The canine wondered as he held his nose to the ground._

* * *

Bat-Hound had tracked whatever he was tracking near the park. He had a hunch of who it was, but while a part of him was a bit eager to be right, another part was itching to be wrong. He walked towards where he and the kids had been earlier, and found himself looking up at the tree Dick had been crouching in from before.

The dog narrowed his eyes and sat down. "I know your there." he woofed.

There was a pause, and he then heard a slow, smooth purr. At that moment, a lonesome figure jumped from branch to branch. As it landed, Ace felt a temporary moment of weakness at the sight before him.

The figure was a Siamese, her pale brown body tipped with chocolate brown around her pricked ears, small paws, long tail and smirking face. Her periwinkle eyes glittered at him, illuminated by the street lights; while her silver collar shined with the jewels that studded it.

"Isis" The dog coolly greeted.

"And here I thought I'd be the only one out of town." She meowed as she approached him.

"What _**are**_ you doing here? If anything, I'd thought you'd stay away from a dog show." Bat-Hound asked. He knew that Catwoman was an animal rights activist, but why would Isis be out alone?

"Catwoman's visiting the town to offer support to the show. She **is** a sponsor." Isis answered.

Ace rolled his eye again. Selina Kyle was a determined woman who just wouldn't quit when it came to the rights to those who simply couldn't speak. Bruce tried to hide his attraction to her and Ace often found himself trying to do the same with Isis.

Bat-Hound was knocked out of his thoughts at the feeling of the cat rubbing herself against his legs.

"That still doesn't explain why your here." The dog said more to himself than to her.

"A girl can't enjoy a little alone time?" Isis purred seductively as she took a few steps back.

"Play dumb all you want Bat-Mutt, but I know you're here looking into Sionis."

Bat-Hound sighed. Isis always was smarter than the average cat.

"What do you know?" He asked.

"All I know is that that a lot of strays him been going missing back in Gotham. And that Black Mask has said that he is currently working on a serum that should revolutionize security. To all who can pay the right-"

She was cut off as Bat-Hound suddenly grabbed her by the back of her neck and darted up the tree she had previously occupied. As he placed down, she retaliated by scratching at him, though her claws could do little more than leave three thin lines in his mask.

"What the heck was that?!" She screeched.

Ace inclined his head downward to show her the two darts that stood in the ground where the two pets had been standing just seconds earlier.

"We have company." The hound growled.

As if on cue, two figures appeared from nowhere. 2 dogs that foamed at the mouth at the sight of the animals perched in the tree. The harness' they wore had a bright red laser pointing out from the top, presumably that is where the darts came from.

"I hope you've rested from your trip, cause this won't be easy.

They both leapt at the dogs.

Ace quickly tried to grab one dog by the neck, but he needed to avoid the darts that continuously shot out of the dog harness. Finally Ace got a break when he disoriented the dog to the point where it lost track of him. At that Ace quickly and effectively kick the dog in the chin with so much force; it flew about 3 feet in the air. Ace grinned with satisfaction at the resulting crack as the dog fell to the ground, its mouth opened unnaturally wide.

Bat-Hound was about to help Isis, only to find she didn't need it!

She darted all over the dog, leaving the dog to snap at nothing but air each and every time it lunged. And then suddenly, she leaped high into the air and came crashing down on its head with a surprising amount of momentum. The dog was dazed for a moment as the cat stomped it's head, it then sank to the ground; all with Isis calmly sitting on its back.

"_Unreal_" Bat-Hound thought in awe. Isis simply smirked at his expression.

"Uh, h-h-how long are you going to be in town?" The dog asked.

"We're staying for the welcoming party tomorrow night, then we go back home." Isis said, as she approached him.

"I'll see you back at Gotham then." The dog stated, having regained his demeanor.

"Count on it." She quietly purred.

Then cat darted off into the shadows, but not before flicking Ace's nose with the tip of her tail.

* * *

**(Sigh) The first week of school is always the slowest.**

**But in other news, this chapter, I consider a gift for IsisxAce.**

**Also, to the people who have been reading "Big Top Titans", thank you for waiting and I promise that I will continue it.**

**The thing is however, that I typically focus on one story at a time. Now I obviously abandoned that notion for now, but please remember this.**

**So, always hating school but loving to write…**

**Sky the White Dragon**


	13. Days Past

**Note: I've decided to redo and/or state Robin and Ace's ages.**

**Present time: Robin is now 15 and Ace is 7 (But the scientist made it so his aging is slowed. If I had to guess, he's still relatively young for a dog.)**

_**Flashback: Robin was 8 and Ace was just a few months old.**_

**Warning: This chapter will involve Ace flashing back to his time in the labs and Robin remembering how Ace was found. It may be a bit disturbing.**

* * *

Bat-Hound had shot out a cable from his collar and began circling the tree he had thrown the "Hench-dogs" into, tying them to it. As he circled the large animals, he thought about what Isis had told him.

"_A lot of strays had been going missing…"_

Bat-Hound folded his ears against his hooded head in anger. What Mask was doing was not only against many, _many_ laws; it was a complete disregard for life! Look at these two; they barely even looked like dogs anymore!

Ace finished his work of the dogs, making sure that they could not harm anyone who found them in the morning.

Not ready to go back home just yet, Bat-Hound resigned to patrolling the city. He trotted down the streets, looked into the alley ways, he even peeked in a few of the windows. There was absolutely nothing.

Using the grappling hook in his collar, Bat-Hound scaled a tall building with skill, precision and grace. As he sat on the edge, looking over this unfamiliar, new territory; he allowed his lips to curl as he let out a growl of disgust.

He had lost what little he had before he could even fully understand what was happening to him; his father barely stole a glance at him should he happen to have a round near the "Animal Containment", his mother left every morning to fight for her life and returned every evening to rest and offer what comfort she could and his brothers and sisters were taken away from him one day and never returned.

"_Dick and everyone back home really are all I have."_ Ace realized.

Ace lost his anger, and he lowered his body so his front paws were hanging off the building. He allowed a small whine to escape his jaws; he could not stop the flash of the unwanted, but life changing memory-

_7 Years Ago_

_The pup shivered violently in the cold, dark, hard cage on the floor. Recently, part of the ceiling had collapsed, leaving a large gap where the ceiling should've met the wall. Harsh white flakes showered relentlessly into the dark room, pelting his thin black fur and stinging his face._

_Not too long ago, the people who took his mama away every morning and brought her back a long time afterward had taken him and his littermates out of their cage. It was such a blur of activity that it wasn't until he was put into a single cage by himself that he realized he couldn't see or hear any of his family._

_Now every day, they took him out of his cage and did bad things to him. They pinched him all over, tied him down and made his body burn and sometimes, they would even beat him! Tossing him into cold water, making the other puppies bite him, it always seemed to get worse each time. By the time they brought him back, when he lay down, there would be red stuff all over the floor of the cage and it hurt him when he took a deep breath._

_Now, thin, alone and miserable, He watched the door fearfully; knowing that soon someone would be there to hurt him again. His body heaved as a cough jolted through him. He heard a scuffling noise outside the door. The puppy's shivering intensified, due to both fear and the still dropping temperature._

_The door was pushed open and the puppy crawled into the corner of his container. He heard someone creep inside and quickly shut the door behind them. _

_Footsteps moved silently though the trash and frost on the floor. _

_The pup held his breath as he heard the intruder come closer._

_But he couldn't help but notice that the footsteps were so much smaller than usual._

_A colorfully sneakered foot suddenly appeared in front of the cage._

_The puppy held its yelp, but its flinch sent it into the cage wall; making a small but clear thump. _

_The feet froze and slowly slide away from the cage._

_The little dog thought he was home free, until the figure kneeled down._

_The human lifted the cage off the ground and placed it on a pitiful, cluttered, nearby table. _

_The puppy looked around from the rear of the container and saw that the figure was doing the same._

_It glanced upward and reached for a lamp that hung over the table._

_With a click, a small spotlight loomed over the two and the pup was able to get a look at his "visitor"._

_He didn't look anything like the others. The others were big, with cruel expressions and sometimes came in with blood splattered aprons and gloves. This one was small and next to the thin layer of grime covering his face, looked well kept. His blue eyes shined with curiosity and courage._

_His face conveyed surprise when he saw what was in the cage._

_He slowly unhooked the latch on the door. _

_The pup crept back and let out a pathetic snarl._

_Usually, he would receive a blow when he did this, but the human simply hushed him gently._

"_shhhh, it's okay." He whispered soothingly as he reached inside._

_The pup closed its eyes and braced itself. He felt himself being grasped under the arms and lifted up slowly. _

_As he opened his eyes, he couldn't help but feel safe._

_The boy gently touched his floppy puppy ears. When the little animal got used to the touch, he started to gently rub a finger up his diamonded forehead._

"_Why would anybody want to hurt a little thing like you?" The human asked._

_The puppy couldn't answer, but realized that even if he could, he wouldn't even know._

_The boy looked around quickly; there were voices outside the door. _

_He quickly pulled the pup closer. Did he really want to hurt him?_

_The puppy was gently cradled in small, but secure arms. The boy ran to the door he had come through, the dog still in his grasp._

_As the door opened, the two looked out. Two thugs were moving around cages and crates._

"_Find him; the boss will have our heads when he finds out that brat got away!" One of them yelled._

_The boy quietly closed the door and quickly looked around the room. He grabbed a discarded blanket from the floor and spread it out on the floor._

_He set the dog on the cloth and quickly moved the cluttered table to the wall. He scraped the garbage off and then walked over to the dog._

_He wrapped it up, and cradled it in a way not unlike that of a human child._

_He exhaled sharply and tucked the puppy closer to his chest. He then ran towards the wall and vaulted up to the gap, using the table to jump. _

_The dog closed his eyes as they crawled out into the freezing air._

_The boy skillfully swung into the roof. Now in the full force of the wind, the boy shielded the puppy as best he could, but the dog felt him shaking._

_The boy then stood there, as if wondering what to do next._

_Suddenly, the door leading downstairs was thrown open. Around 5 men streamed through. The boy kept a good grip on the dog and backed away from the thugs._

"_Come on kid, don't make us hurt you." One said as if he could do it very easily._

_The boy could not back up anymore less he wanted to fall of the building._

_Suddenly, a black blur swooped over the men. Punches were thrown, blows were taken; the resulting grunts of pain were evidence of that._

_But one man got past; he grabbed the boy by his neck. _

_The dog was dropped into the snow. He saw the boy being held by his throat. The black blur turned out to be another human. The black suit he wore stood out against the white snow._

"_Stay away Bat or I will splatter this kid's brains all over the snow!"_

_In his hand, a silvery tool shined against the little humans head._

_The dog was overcome by a need to protect the boy. _

_He found strength in his legs and rose off the frosty ground. He then darted over as fast as he could and bit the bad man's exposed ankle._

_The man let out a gasp more of surprise than pain and looked at the dog. The puppy was savagely kicked into a snowdrift._

_As the little shepherd lay dazed in the sleet, the boy swung his leg over his head and kicked the man in the face._

_The boy was dropped, the man in black pounced; the bad man went down into the snow._

_The puppy felt itself being picked up. The boy looked down on him and then cradled him against his chest._

_The pup blacked out._

_Only to wake up in the boys arms, the place that he would come to cherish more than anything._

Present

Ace lost so much in his puphood, but he gained more than enough that day.

He gained a home to call his own, a name he wore with high head and a friend he would protect 'til bitter end.

Bat-Hound stood on the building. A silhouette against the dark, moonlit sky.

He didn't protect his first family, but he would protect the one he had now.

* * *

"_You're sure this won't be a problem?"_

"Yes, I can maintain everything." Robin was getting seriously annoyed. He knew how to protect an identity. But his surrogate father had always been reluctant when things didn't go according to plan.

"_Well, you know the plan."_ A click and then total silence.

Robin put away his communicator and looked at the open balcony door.

He knew Ace would be back, but it was almost 6 a.m.!

Robin couldn't keep the smile off his face.

Ace really had come a long way from the dark cage they had found him in.

That had been a bad day for both of them. Mask had kidnapped him from the Gotham Academy, knocked him out for who know how long, and stuck him in a place that gave him nightmares too!

As Dick sat waiting for his pet he was overcome by his own memory.

_7 Years Ago_

_Dick woke up on the filthy floor. There was an old cloth wrapped around his mouth and rope tangled around his wrists._

_The room was small and dark. A thin line of light peeked out from underneath an imposing door._

_Last thing he remembered was waiting outside the school for Bruce to pick him up. Then it was all little more than flurry of blows and grunts._

_Dick stood as best he could without the use of his hands. He then walked towards the doorway and leaned against the rotted wood soundlessly._

"_The kid is going to stay there until Wayne agrees to surrender Wayne Enterprises to me." The voice sounded gruff and familiar._

"_And when Wayne gives everything up?"_

_A dark chuckle resonated through the building._

"_Yes sir." The other voice laughed._

_Dick realized that he had to get out of there!_

_Looking around, Dick found an old pipe that had burst and become sharp at the end. He turned around and skillfully cut the rope in a single slash without drawing his own blood._

_He suddenly heard footsteps coming near the door. He hopped up on the surrounding crates and wedged himself into the upper corner above the doorway._

_The door swung open revealing a lumbering grunt._

"_What the-?" He said._

_The man walked in and foolishly shut the door behind him. _

_Now that no one would see him, Dick dropped down and leaped of the man back. When the man turned around, Dick skillfully landed and uppercut on the man's chin._

_He fell to the ground, unconscious._

_Dick cracked open the door and cautiously peeked out. He saw that nobody else was there. They had left a single thug to guard him._

_He crept out and saw something that would send shudders down his spine for days to come._

_Tables used by doctors in surgery lined the side of the room. On them laid red tinted surgical tools lay on the trays, near beakers of unknown liquids. An operation table stood in the center, bloodstained and covered in scratches and burns. Manacles were attached to the table; four near the long side, a large shackle was welded to the front._

"_What are they experimenting on?" Dick wondered aloud. _

"_He got his answer when he looked down an adjacent hallway and saw cages._

_Cages all down the hall and into the next room; Dick walked through the corridor, careful not to disturb the animals in the containers._

_He couldn't believe what he was seeing!_

_Dogs of all shapes, sizes, colors, ages and breeds lay in the cells. Some were wounded and sleeping off the pain, others simply lay and look at him with dull eyes, the rest were simply dogs that battled for their lives; and lost._

_Dick could barely conceal his horror._

_The only thing that could pull him out of his trance was the shouts of the other thugs. They had found one of their ranks unresponsive and their hostage gone._

_Dick quickly ran into the first door he could open and closed it behind him._

_He looked around his surroundings. There was garbage all over the floor and the dilapidated ceiling leaked snow, ice and frost throughout the room._

_Dick moved through the rubbish and took in his surroundings._

"_Maybe if I get a good start, I can get to the roof and call-"_

_Thump_

_Dick was cut off by the soft, small sound._

_It had come from a small box near his foot. He picked it up and placed it on the dirty table._

_He turned on the overhead lamp and looked inside._

_A little black puppy stared back at him. Its chocolate brown eyes took him in. It's black pelt was stained with blood, that much was obvious._

_Dick carefully unlatched the cage door and reached for the animal._

_It snarled, but it wasn't surprising._

"_Shhh", he comforted, "It's okay."_

_He gently picked it up. In the light, Dick could see the pink tinted diamond on its forehead and it was painfully thin._

_He gently rubbed its soft, velvety ears, and then petted its forehead._

"_Why would anyone want to hurt a little thing like you?"_

_Clean off the blood and fatten it up, the little thing would be adorable. It looked like a german shepherd; it was so young that it ears hadn't even started to prick up yet._

_The moment was interrupted by the men outside. _

_Dick ran to the door with the little dog still in his arms and saw they were getting closer._

_Looking around, he quickly found a large piece of cloth. He laid it on the ground and placed the pup on the makeshift blanket._

_Hopefully, the pup would not shake so hard now that it was off the floor._

_Dick pushed the table to the wall, where the ceiling crumbled._

_He walked over to the dog and wrapped it in the blanket. He picked it up and mentally prepared itself._

_He jumped up to the roof, clutching his cargo._

_The snow was stinging his face and his ears were ringing._

_The boy looked at the puppy, if the thing didn't freeze it would starve. He had to get it out!_

_Suddenly, the rooftop door was thrust open._

_Ten grunts sneered at him._

"_Come on kid, don't make us hurt you." If it wasn't for the cold, Dick would've scoffed._

_He could not fall off the building, he was trapped._

_Suddenly, the man of the hour showed up._

_Batman took them all down in less than five minutes._

_But Dick was not watching his back. Some guy got lucky and grabbed Dick by his throat. The dog was thrown into the sleet._

"_Stay away Bat or I will splatter this kid's brains all over the snow!"_

_Batman couldn't attack and the thug was too aware of Dick for him to counter. _

_The thug was then occupied by a small growl on the ground. _

_The pup had attacked and it was punished with a kick to the side._

_Dick was overwhelmed by anger and kicked the man in the face._

_Bats took it from there._

_Dick went over to check the animal. _

_He cradled it as it fell asleep._

_And that day, he found a true friend._

_Present_

As Ace crawled through the balcony, Robin realized he had lost track of time as the cotton candy pink clouds accompanied the sun over the horizon.

"Have a good night Ace?" Robin asked.

"Woof!" Ace said with a wagging tail.

* * *

**It is currently 12:40 AM and I am exhausted!**

**I was going to finish later but I felt bad about not updating for a while so I stayed up.**

**Oh and I am a bit busy with my new puppy (who is a showdog!) so updates will be spaced. **

**I've been thinking about writing a story crossover, but I may not have time.**

**If you're interested, PM me.**

**Goodnight!**

**Sky the White Dragon**


	14. Pick-up Lines

**I know I've been slacking off lately, but I can really explain.**

**You see, a friend of mine was contemplating suicide for a while so I had to take care of her. And I'm doing a chorus project, so I was focusing less on writing and more on singing. **

**That combined with a competition I'm entering and the animals and the grades...**

**I just lost track for a minute. On to the story!**

* * *

Ace got out of his costume just before the Titans came in. After breakfast, Cyborg went over the day with Dick. Starfire fished something blue and fuzzy out of her bag and gave it to something she was cradling in her arms out of Ace view, Raven was reading a book of poetry and Beastboy was once again a little puppy trying his very hardest to get in everyone's way.

"So, the party starts at 6:30, right?" Dick asked.

"Yes, and we all have received an invitation!" Starfire said with happiness.

"Well, it's barely noon right now guys, so what should we do for now?" Cyborg asked.

"Ooh, ooh, maybe we can go to the beach for today. With all the girls visiting for the show, I wanna see he deep of a tan I can get." Beastboy said, raising his hand.

"Not sure many girls go for a dark green tan." Raven said from behind her book.

"_Robin deals with this every day?"_ Ace wondered.

Suddenly something bit down on his tail!

"Rype!" Ace yelped. He twirled around and around trying to gain sight of what was now hanging onto him, nearly knocking everyone over until Starfire pulled whatever bit him off of his tail.

In her arms, was a small pink and white worm, that giggled happily with a few pieces of black fur sticking out of its mouth.

"I am so sorry, Silkie is simply happy to have someone to play with." Starfire said apologetically.

Ace glared at the worm.

Dick wasn't holding as much anger.

"That's alright; Ace is just being a big baby." He chuckled.

Ace narrowed his eyes at Dick.

* * *

"And Go!"

At Cyborg command a race started between a sleek black shepherd, and a tofu-smelling green greyhound. The two sent up a spray of sand and then tore off down the surprisingly un-crowded beach.

"Don't mess up his fur!" Dick yelled after them. This might be free time, but they still had a show to go to.

As the Cyborg shielded his one human eye as to better see the race, Starfire walked up to Dick.

"Excuse me, but I simply had to ask a question." She said politely.

"Ask anything."

"Where did your dog learn to fight the way he did? He was very fierce when you were attacked.

Dick looked away for a moment, processing how to respond.

"Well, Ace was trained to protect me if anything went wrong. He probably just followed your leads."

Starfire wanted to ask something else, but Dick wandered away from her to see where the heck his dog went!

* * *

Beastboy ran on long green legs. Greyhounds might have better running abilities, but Ace was catching up and he wasn't even panting hard yet. They ran towards the rocky outcrop jumped onto the large boulders and jumped off. Ace was a second behind him.

That was when the changeling got a sly idea.

Mid-stride, the greyhound shifted into cheetah and sprinted off, leaving a spray of sand all around them.

When it cleared, Beastboy could not see the other dog.

Beastboy pranced up to the Titans with his head high, until he saw Ace sitting next to them with a bored look on his face.

* * *

"Wha-, how'd -, when did you get here!?" He shouted.

"He got here like two minutes ago." Dick said.

"No way, I left him in the dust!" Beastboy said in denial.

They shrugged.

Dick was having some trouble keeping the smirk off his face. Beastboy glared.

"Alright, alright; I think I can make it up to you. Look over there-"Dick pointed to a pretty blonde talking to a brunette on a bench in the shade of some trees not far. They actually knew the girl, having "met" her at a pizza parlor. Beastboy had attempted a pick-up line and…well, they had only just finished helping him get the melted cheese and anchovy off his face.

"Dude, I am not going anywhere near that girl." Beastboy folded his arms and looked away.

"Look, the approach is all wrong; if there's one thing I know, its girl."

Ace let out an exhale of air that sounded a whole lot like a scoff.

Dick faked a hurt look at his dog, "What, I do!"

Ace rolled his eyes.

"Fine, you can teach him." Dick said.

Ace knew that deep down, Dick was petrified with girls. He had seen how he acted with Starfire. But, Dick wandered out to talk with the other titans (where Starfire was currently telling everyone about the dog breeds she had memorized), while Beastboy shifted into a little green puppy and sat down in front of Ace.

"Look kid, he's right. The approach is all wrong. No girl wants to be asked out to a "tofu burger"." The dog began its lecture, while the puppy listened. The one thing I learned as a dog is every girl has an angle. "An angle?" The pup asked.

Ace rolled his eyes again. "Yep; I mean with some girls, I have to act vicious and rabid and have Dick come and play the hero. Others it's the "cute dog" routine.

The puppy nodded.

"With me, what you do is sit down, put your front paws together like so" he demonstrated, "flatten your ears, put your nose to your chest, tilt you head a bit and then just-" Ace looked directly at the puppy and pulled off what might possibly be the cutest look ever made.

"Wwwwhhhhooooaaaa…"Beastboy dragged on, the look just flat out mesmerized him.

"See, she can't say no." Ace said.

"I'm guessing you two are done?" Dick said walking over.

Beastboy morphed back. "Oh yeah dude! With the stuff, she can't say no!"

"Alright then, allow me to break the ice." Dick picked up a tennis ball and turned to Ace. "Wanna play?"

The black German shepherd looked at him excitingly.

Dick threw the ball the ball in the girl's direction.

Ace galloped off towards the two.

* * *

"_The things I do for that boy."_ Ace thought as he ran after the ball.

He caught it in the air and turned to look at the girls.

He dropped his ball, and casually walked over.

"I know; that is exactly what I said. And then he has the nerve to say to me-"The blonde halted her sentence and turned to look at the dog.

"Well, hello Big Guy." The brunette said in a baby voice. The blonde reached out and petted him. "What are you doing here?" Jeez, he hated it when girls talked to him like that.

"Well aren't you cute!" She got on her knees and put her hands on his neck. "Just the cutest little thing ever!"

Ace pulled his head away enough to motion a certain green puppy over.

"_Get over here and do this before I do something I just know I'll regret." _That was what the look on his face said.

The little puppy trotted over with its pink tongue hanging out of his mouth.

For a moment, the girls looked disgusted at the sight of the green dog who smelled like something gone bad, but that was before Ace winked his signal at the dog and they both pulled off their looks.

The girls melted right then and there.

* * *

Dick shielded his eyes to see the two. He could tell that the girls were fans of Ace, but what about Beastboy?

As he watched he could see one of the ladies bend down and look at the changeling, she stood up again, and it looked like she was holding him.

_This just might work…"_ Dick thought. But then the scene changed quickly.

He didn't know what had happened exactly, but in a couple of seconds, Beastboy was walking back towards them, but plopped down into the grass with a dejected look on his face.

Dick went to meet him. "What happened, where's Ace?" He asked.

"Over there living the good life…" Beastboy sighed after he shifted to human form.

Dick ran over, he knew that he needed to get Ace before he reached the breaking point.

* * *

And Ace was gettin' **REALLY **close to that point.

"Come on buddy, I think we should wait for your owner." The blonde holding on to his collar said like she was talking to a baby. Ace tried to pull away, but both girls refused to let go! He could've dragged both of them across town if he wanted to, but he really didn't want the crying on his mind…

"There you are boy." Dick said when he reached them.

"Oh, is he yours?" The brunette asked.

"Oh yeah, he got off his leash." He said chuckling nervously.

"Come on boy." Dick led his dog away from the girls. Ace looked seriously annoyed.

When they were a good distance away, Dick leaned down and and turned on the translator in Ace's collar.

"What happened, it looked like it was going well?" Dick asked.

"It was, until he changed back in her arms and asked for her number…" Ace deadpanned.

"Wow, talk about results may vary.

* * *

Commissioner Jacob was walking around in the dank, dark alley with Sargent Jason next to him.

"So the couple is just walking there dogs by this alleyway, and they just get pulled in and beaten senseless?"

Jason caught on pretty fast, "Just doesn't make sense, right? I mean most would try and ask for something just to terrify them, but even then; they shouldn't have been able to knock them both out that quick.

Commissioner Jacob looked down at the tracks in the oily slime on the floor. "These aren't human prints..."

The floor was covered in large paw prints, talon marks and paw-prints that were much smaller, more delicate.

"They had a dog?"

Jacob looked at the two being loaded into the back of an ambulance, and back at the floor.

"Looks like two, but we can't find them anywhere."

The Commissioner didn't like where this was going.

"And one more thing sir, both were competing in the dog show."

The commissioner watched the ambulance speed away.

"Looks like we got Dog-nappers playing foul-play..."

* * *

**In other lighter new, today (May 4th) is actually my birthday!**

**I'm going out with friends and family later on and my friend couldn't be there so she's making a card instead!**

**Guys, please be patient, my laptop broke, I'm communicating with a Tablet and I could only write this at my grandmothers house. **

**I would never leave you guys! **


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